After the Afghanistan withdrawal, the defense overseas work was drastically reduced. Contracts were ended or modified, and contractors shifted to meet the changing landscape. Geopolitical issues could impact the status of contractors again with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It may come in the form of support over this next year, or it could be adjustments on current contracts to deliver solutions in real-time for any U.S. support in Europe. The DoD estimates that there are currently 90,000 service members stationed in Europe, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has approved movement of troops in the region.
“These additional personnel are being repositioned to reassure our NATO allies, deter any potential aggression against NATO member states, and train with host-nation forces,” DOD officials said in a written statement.
Bottom line for defense contractors? The work just got even more important.
Contract Opportunities to Watch
| BlueHalo |
BlueHalo was recently awarded an initial $14M contract for the development of a HIVE small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) architecture by the U.S. Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO). BlueHalo will provide the Army with a transformational sUAS autonomous swarming capability not currently available to the warfighter. BlueHalo will leverage resources and expertise across the company to deliver unmatched Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) swarm logic capabilities, communications systems, and evolving technologies within an operationally driven system-of-systems framework. This integrated “HIVE” of proprietary, U.S.-made and manufactured sUAS platforms will provide the warfighter with improved mission efficiency, sensor performance, and a reduction in cognitive workload. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with LTG L. Neil Thurgood and RCCTO to deliver transformative warfighter capabilities in the form of sUAS,” said Jonathan Moneymaker, CEO of BlueHalo. “Our customers continue to turn to BlueHalo to achieve what has never been done before and HIVE is another excellent example of utilizing BlueHalo’s capabilities to do just that. I am incredibly proud of the team’s success and am excited about how we continue to redefine what is possible through inspired engineering.” |
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Key Employer in the Cleared Industry
| General Dynamics Mission Systems | Join an Amazing Team Keeping Our Nation Safe. Explore career opportunities at General Dynamics Mission Systems.
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Cleared Opportunities
“The DARC program will field a resilient ground-based radar providing our nation with significantly enhanced space domain awareness for geostationary orbit,” said Pablo Pezzimenti, vice president, integrated national systems, Northrop Grumman. “While current ground-based systems operate at night and can be impacted by weather conditions, DARC will provide an all-weather, 24/7 capability to monitor the highly dynamic and rapidly evolving geosynchronous orbital environment critical to national and global security.”
DARC will augment the military’s space surveillance network as an additional sensor with increased capacity and capability to monitor deep space objects and eventually provide full global coverage. The initial DARC contract includes the design, development and delivery of a Site 1 system located in the Indo-Pacific region, expected to be completed in 2025. There will be a follow-on of two additional sites strategically placed around the world.
Northrop Grumman is a technology company, focused on global security and human discovery. Our pioneering solutions equip our customers with capabilities they need to connect, advance and protect the U.S. and its allies. Driven by a shared purpose to solve our customers’ toughest problems, our 90,000 employees define possible every day.
